Bloodcurse

What Lurks

"Don't you recognize me?"

I gasp for air, my body suddenly so cold that I can't feel my hands. I want to run, but I can't escape his eyes, his presence... I feel intoxicated, trying to form coherent thoughts but failing as my sole focus seems to be the man who is right behind me. The longer I stare at his face, the more I fall into this strange trance that I cannot seem to escape, no matter how much I want to tear my gaze away and push him off me.

"I don't... know," I stutter, tears falling from my cheeks. "You have..."

"His eyes, I know." The man smiles, and the blue of his irises expands into the whites surrounding them until they merge completely, leaving behind a washed-out grey. "Would you rather I had yours?"

Bile rushes up my throat as I watch his eyes turn from grey to a muddy brown until they land on a hazel that is unmistakably the one I've seen for almost nineteen years whenever I look in the mirror. Clutching the sink in front of me with both hands, I really think I am going to throw up now. As if sensing my thoughts, the man eases up off me, averting his eyes and brushing down his black waistcoat, the smile on his lips fading as he does so.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to finally see you again," he says, and my head spins until my vision blurs to the point of complete helplessness. "After your brother, I've been so eager to find out what has become of you, but I can't lie to you, Seth; I'm very disappointed. You're not nearly as strong as him."

"What are you talking about?" The question leaves me in the form of a desperate breath. "Who are you?!"

"What kind of son doesn't recognize his own father?"

An unbearably sharp pain stabs my temples, and I raise my shaking hands to where I think my face is as I slowly sink to the floor of the restroom.

"You're a murderer...," I gasp, my stomach churning.

"So are you."

"I... no! I've never-"

"What about your brother? Didn't you refuse to save him?"

"That's not-"

"And your little friend out there? Will you also let him die when the time comes?"

My heart stops beating for a moment. "What..."

"I'll be seeing you."

"What! No, wait! What did you mean when you said-"

It's too late. Once my sight clears up, he's already long gone, and I lie on the cold tiles by myself, wondering if this was all some sort of sick hallucination or daydream. I can't move, but I'm not sure I want to, anyway. This man, this... thing can't be my father. My father is in Europe, with my Mom, and they're normal. Irresponsible, but normal. So was Adam, and so am... no. I'm not normal. He may have been right, I didn't save Adam when I could have and it hurts me every day, but that makes me the only freak in my family. My parents were cruel, but they didn't kill him. That was me, I did, it was my fault he died alone, I...

"Seth?"

I should have called...

"Seth!"

I should have-

My body is limp in Grayson's arms as he tries to help me off the floor, but I still don't think I can move a single muscle. My mind is fully there, I think, but my body won't listen to any of my commands, so all I can do is try not to die of shame as Grayson carries me out of the movie theater and sets me down on the passenger seat of his car, even going as far as securing my seatbelt around me and making sure my head is safely resting against the door. I can't decipher my emotions as they all vanish inside of the tornado that rages within me, ripping everything I thought I knew with it in the process. What happened tonight? Was it real? Is anything real anymore? What if I just dreamt all of this up, what if I'm lying in a coma somewhere and none of this is actually happening, what if-